Report: St. Louis Rams player shot in Miami Gardens

A player for the St. Louis Rams who grew up in South Florida was shot late Tuesday in a drive-by in front of a Miami Gardens home.

Wide receiver Stedman Bailey was shot in the head as he was sitting in a car with other people, according to reports.

The shooting, which also injured relative Antwan Reeves, happened at about 8:45 p.m., Miami Gardens police said. Police are looking for a light-colored, four-door car, possibly a Buick Regal.

“Bailey and Reeves, along with three additional passengers which included two minors, were sitting in their car when another vehicle arrived and opened fire,” according to a statement from Miami Gardens police spokesman Doretha Hall. “The victims drove themselves to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment.”

The St. Louis Rams issued a statement Wednesday morning: “We are aware Stedman Bailey was involved in an incident this evening. “We have spoken with Stedman and he is in the hospital in critical, but stable, condition. We are gathering facts about the situation and will provide updates as we learn more.”

Bailey grew up in South Florida and was back in the area while serving a four-game substance-abuse suspension. He played for the Miramar High football team in 2007-08.

News of the shooting didn't take long to get to Miramar High. Former teammate Ivan McCartney, who played with Bailey at both Miramar High and at West Virginia, said he received a phone call late Tuesday night and was devastated to hear what had happened.

"This is completely out of left field," said McCartney, who is now the receivers coach at Miramar and was Bailey's roommate for a summer in college. "Sted is a great person man. Unfortunately it seems like he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Miramar coach Pierre Senatus said Bailey had come by the school last week and spoke with the team for nearly an hour. Senatus said the entire Miramar family is praying for Bailey.

"He's come three times since I've taken over as coach in the last year to speak to the team and it's always a good life conversation," Senatus said. "He was autographing book bags and talking to the kids about suspended and how much it hurt him to be away from the team. It was a great genuine message about making mistakes and trying to get back on track."

Bailey was shot overnight outside a house in Miami Gardens while he was sitting in a car on Northwest 199th Street and 38th Place. He was in the car with his two young children and a cousin. Bailey was set for surgery Wednesday morning at Aventura Hospital. His injuries are said to be non-life-threatening.

“Once I pulled up and saw all these shell casings, I thought that can’t be too good,” said a neighbor who didn’t want to be identified. “The car was all shot up.”

Baily, 25, was a third-round pick in 2013 out of West Virginia. Bailey has started three games each of the last two seasons, and this year has 12 receptions for 182 yards with one touchdown. Last year, he had 30 receptions with a 14.5-yard average and one touchdown, according to the AP. He was halfway through the four-game suspension when he was shot.

"Keep our brother @iamSB3 in your thoughts, prayers tonight. I don't wanna believe it...." Rams defensive end Chris Long tweeted.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami Gardens Police Detective L. Gonzalez at 305-474-1641 or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

Miami Herald staff writers Manny Navarro and Alex Harris contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Report: St. Louis Rams player shot in Miami Gardens."